Hello, buddies! Whether you’re an old hat at programming or you’re just getting started with programming, the truth is you can’t stand still. You must always be on the lookout for ways to improve coding skills. But how? It will be boring to read books about programming and watch tutorials! Don't worry! Here are 7 ways to improve your coding skills without getting bored.

1. Contribute to GitHub

As far as improving your coding is concerned, joining and contributing to GitHub is non-negotiable. No matter how experienced you are, you’ll almost always learn something new when you add your two-cents to an Open Source project. Whether that’s from observing someone else’s code, or from receiving feedback on your own, it’s a brilliant learning curve and a huge confidence booster all rolled into one.

2. Be the Hero Your Community Needs

Many of the tips in articles suggest getting help from other developers, when honestly, you could be that help as well. Through communities like Quora, Stack Overflow and XDA Developers, you can offer support and advice to fellow developers. In fact, it’s entirely possible you’ll find your next project or work opportunity when networking with the community.

Some great ideas for helping others include sharing and discussing your favorite development tools others might not know about. For instance, you can use a front-end tool to prevent problems from happening in the first place, and sharing this information with other developers has benefits. Who knows — you may even offer the advice a team needs to finish a project, giving them the incentive to hire you for future work😉.

3. Pop the hood on your favorite website

Got a favorite site like Tealfeed? Curious about how it does its thing? Get into the habit of looking at the source code and try to piece together the frameworks and processes used by the programmer. It’s a great way to learn and a brilliant source of inspiration. And if you see something you don’t understand, simply return to the communities mentioned above armed with a bunch of new questions. Win-win.

4. Work on real projects to become a better programmer

Your programming won’t improve as quickly as you’d like if you’re not actively working on real projects.

So, how do you find these projects? Well, you could check out freelancing sites and pitch your services to small businesses. Or you could cold email local agencies with freelance proposals and offer to lend a hand when they’re busy.

However you do it, the fact remains: It’s only when you have some skin in the game that your focus levels go up a notch and your problem-solving skills rival those of Sherlock Holmes.

5. Do something new each day

Absolutely no-one becomes a coding guru overnight. It takes hard work, practice, and determination. However, if you want to add a little jet fuel to your development, you should take some time out each day and challenge yourself with something new.

Of course, it doesn’t have to be complicated. Maybe it’s learning a new language feature or mastering a shortcut. Whatever you choose, over time these little challenges will add up to significant improvements.

6. Play A Coding Game

📷Popular method that works perfectly! In recent years, online courses and teaching applications have cropped up — one of which incorporates video games and software development or coding. If that sounds fun, it is!

While some of the games and opportunities were designed with beginners in mind, that doesn’t mean the content doesn’t eventually touch on more experienced concepts. Platforms like CodeCombat, CodeMonkey, CheckIO, CodeWars and many others allow you to play a game, all while being exposed to coding and programming references.

Never underestimate having fun and learning as a collaborative experience. You’d be surprised how much more information and ideas you retain.

7. Embrace the ‘15-Minute’ rule to get better at coding

When you’re stuck on a piece of code, grab your phone and set the timer for 15 minutes. If the alarm goes and you’re no closer to a solution, it’s time to ask for help. Turn to one of the communities like Stackoverfolw, hop on social media, or ask a co-worker. Because the longer you stare at a problem, the larger it looms and the more frustrated you’ll become.

The 15-minute rule helps you avoid these frustrations and puts you on the path towards learning and mastery.

So buddies, these are the actionable ways to improve your coding skills. Did I miss a important thing? Let me know!

Originally published on Hashnode